Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
13 October 2008
Botswana international Mogogi Gabonamong, who plies his trade with Cape Town side, Santos, says new Botswana arrival at the club, Jerome Ramatlhakwana will succeed though the bulky forward is struggling to command regular place in the first team.
Ramatlhakwana a fortnight ago came on as a substitute and scored the equaliser for the Capetownians to snatch a point from dreaded Orlando Pirates. It was only Ramatlhakwana's third appearance as a substitute in the league.
Despite a quiet start in the South African top league so far, Gabonamong believes it is only a matter of time before Ramatlhakwana reproduces the form that made him the fiercest striker in Botswana.
"I like his fighting spirit. He can protect the ball because his body is well suited for his role. I think he is still adjusting. He must score whenever he gets the chance because he is a striker. If you are a striker they expect you to score goals, and the lad is capable of doing that," Gabonamong added.
Santos is also coached by a Motswana in David Bright, who made waves when he joined the club in the second round last year, by notching series of victories that took the club from the relegation zone to title contenders. They eventually finished in the top four.
However, Santos has had a turbulent start to the new season, and many are questioning whether Bright and his boys will be able to reproduce last season's form, which also saw them reach the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup. Now they are 11th in the league, with four points from four games, winning one, drawing one, and losing two.
Gabonamong however is confident they will soon regain their killer instincts. " We had big problems in the beginning because new comers are still adjusting. We also lost other players to rival teams. (Thomrick) October went to Ajax, Thando Mngomeni moved to Sundowns, and Themebile Kanono to Pirates, so the shape of the team was affected in a big way," Gabonamong said.
"We are still trying new combinations with new comers, which is not easy to bring results as soon as we would have liked. But we must improve because the more we lose games the more we get ourselves into trouble. We need to start winning very soon," Gabonamong, who was last season voted the Santos' finest player, added.
"Our second round performance last season was no fluke. Our team today has many inexperienced youngsters, they need time, guidance, and patience, because youngsters by their nature are inconsistent.".
Gabonamong himself says he has not been pleased with his personal form since the South African PSL league kicked off. " It has not been a perfect start for me, but it's not a big problem, I will soon get in the groove," said the midfielder with an eye for goal.
On his coach David Bright, Gabonamong describes his former Mogoditshane Fighters' mentor and the Botswana national teams as a fine coach. "He needs quality players, he can bring fantastic results, but he works with younger players, you see.
We have four or five young players in the first team, including top striker Irwin Isaacs, Elezar Rodgers, Tasleem Paulse, and Ryan Chapman. They are still 21 and 22 years of age. They are young good players. If they can be consistent, the club has a bright future," added the Zebras and Santos anchorman.
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